


christmas magic and christmas miracles

by sbahjification



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Food, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 13:59:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12842655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbahjification/pseuds/sbahjification
Summary: "Santa is attracted to Joy. Even if it's just for tonight, allow yourself that much."





	christmas magic and christmas miracles

**Author's Note:**

> i promise i haven't abandoned my other fic and yes i know christmas is in a month i just could not sleep until this was out of my system

"Mika," Natsume cooed from his position on the couch, pulling a hand from around the other's waist to instead give him a light boop on the nose. "It's nearing Ten. We have two hours to complete the Ritual."

"Nn..." Mika shook the finger off his nose with a great yawn. "I really up n' fell asleep there fer a minute, huh? Sorry... 's two hours gonna be enough still?"

"Of course it Will. I didn't want to wake you up at All, but it would be more of a disappointment that you would miss out on this Opportunity. After All, Santa has eluded you for sixteen Years, no?"

"I mean, I 'lways got gifts from him, but the tags were always in my moms' handwritin'... I didn' fall fer that one fer too long. That's okay, though! If there's more steps than just cookies n' milk, well it's no wonder no one sees him."

"Ah, I forgot an important Detail, did I. Santa cannot be Seen; he is a cosmic Force, rather than a Person. However, he is a force that leaves behind proof of his Presence, so you will know in the morning if it Worked."

His faith in Santa had weathered over the years, but Natsume seemed earnest, and didn't make a habit of lying to Mika, and a rapidly growing part of him wanted to believe what he was being told, so he contented himself to sigh once.

"If ya say so. What do we gotta do?"

"We make milk and Cookies, of Course. Homemade cookies are Best, as with any Spell." With that, he slowly dislodged himself from the comfort of Mika's chest, pulling himself and then his partner up onto wobbly feet, and not without murmured protests and a few more yawns.

Regardless, they set about their quest, energy flowing back into Mika with every motion he could make to help, and by the time they could form a complete batter, he was hopping around the kitchen, humming whimsically, "discreetly" eating no small share of the batter, and smearing some melted chocolate on Natsume's nose for a laugh every time they glanced each other's way. Despite his mischief, they produced a sizable-enough batch of cookies, and tidied up waiting for them to bake.

"These cookies will turn out Excellent," Natsume mused with a contented smile while drying up the dishes. "Apart from being Kind," he glanced over to Mika diligently scrubbing dishes, "and an excellent Housewife, you seem to have a talent for Baking, and Santa is attracted to Joy, so he'll surely be Ecstatic. You should start giving yourself more Credit, Mika. You're a Blessing."

The praise threw Mika off more and more until his grip on the sponge weakened and his momentum fell off. He knew, deep down, that Natsume believed those things, but hearing them was another matter entirely. He glanced over to see the ramble capped off with a warm smile, and he laughed lightly, letting one of his own shine through, and wiping a tear off on his shoulder.

"Thank ya kindly," he muttered. "Yanno, yer a real blessin' too. Showin' up one day, actin' all nice ta me... I thought it musta been a trick, but ya go n' say things like that, n' ya help me bake cookies, n' ya teach me all kindsa cool things, n'... Yer standards're so low, yanno." His smile didn't falter, nor his laugh, even if his eyes did, going back to the task at hand. "Yer way too good... 'f anyone's a blessin' here..." He trailed off, handing over the last of the now-clean bowls. Natsume took the bowl with one hand and Mika's own hand in the other.

"Santa is attracted to Joy. E̗v͚̺̭͎̤̬e̖n̻̱͍͎̲̫ ̘͚̳i̖͙̞̹̺f̲̭̮ ̺it'̺͎s̼͎ ͔ju̬̭͕̟ͅsṯ̖̞̘ ̹̠̠̣̻͉͔f̜̳͉̮͈o͉̮͙̜r͙̫̲̬̜͎ͅ t̬̱o̤n̦̻i͎̮̞g͓̬̜̦̱̭ͅẖ͖̮̝̞ț,͍̝͈ ̱͎̰̘̼̝a̺̣͓̤̠l̻̳̬͖l̬͇̟̰̱ͅo͈̜̮̙̦w ̜̟̱̟͎y̮̹o̝̭ṳ͙͖̠̮r̘̞͓̲͕s̬͚̱el͖͍f̻̼͔͙̭ͅͅ ̩̯̫͔̗͚t̘͍̦̜͓ha͎̟͓̫͖͖t̳̤̗̙͎ ̯̲̟̠̻m̘̺̱̱̖̬u͉̹̫̝̬c͈̘h̻͚̯̝.̥̘̙̦̼̦͉"

Mika faltered, his heart beating in the way it always did when he let himself succumb to Natsume's magic. The concept of allowing himself nice things for no reason was foreign, but if it was for him, for Santa, he had to try. So he nodded.

"Excellent. You are a magician's Dream." He squeezed Mika's hand tightly once, as if finishing off his spell. "The cookies should be just about Ready. If you would retrieve Them, I'll get the Milk." Another nod, and they split.

Mika pulled the cookies out of the oven, and the smell of them made him want to drool, but this time he held off, moving them out to cool on their platter. By the time he could organize them exactly perfect, Natsume had vanished and reappeared, leaning over him to snatch the tray from his hands and carry it out to the table.

"Sorry, but I'm about to disrupt your creation Anyway, so I couldn't stand to watch you fiddle around for no reason any Longer." With that, he returned to the kitchen, pouring milk directly into one cup, and heated milk from another pitcher into two others, stirring the latter two into hot cocoa and handing a cup to Mika. "Tradition dictates that in the spirit of Giving, all three of us are to share the cookies and the milk Alike. So, grab a plate and a few Cookies."

Natsume went off to do so himself, fearlessly tugging still-warm cookies from the top of the pile, even as they fell apart in his hands, and winking in Mika's direction as he licked chocolate off of his fingers. The latter attempted to pay no mind to him, but hiding a red face from Natsume Sakasaki didn't happen, and cruel giggles rang out from behind him. Once he got his bounty, he followed Natsume not to the table, but to the floor in front of the fireplace.

"It doesn't matter where you Eat, but it's most recommended to be in a comfortable Place. There is one more caveat to Consider, which is that you can't fall asleep facing the Tree. Santa prides himself on Mystery, after All."

"I gotcha. So we can just get all cozy here, n' then...?"

"The last part has to be done at exactly Midnight, so until then we merely kill time and eat our Cookies. If you fall asleep Again, I'll wake You, so don't Worry." Once they got settled on the ground, among a mass of pillows and under a large, soft blanket, Natsume again took up residence in his partner's chest. The fire had long since been burning, and they flipped the television above it on to a marathon of Christmas movies. The fire, the blanket, the cocoa, and each other were the perfect remedies on a Christmas Eve for a cold body and soul alike, and it was not Mika but Natsume that fell asleep, holding on to the former's hand when the warmth of his cocoa was all gone.

Mika understood why he'd been left to sleep for so long in that moment. The mask of taunts that covered up his attachments now gone, Natsume looked as cute and harmless as a sleeping kitten, curled up around Mika's arm, slow breathing shifting his long strand of hair slightly, always tempting Mika to play with it, and today he took the opportunity to do so, braiding it gently, trying to move his arm as little as possible, and fastening it off with a rubber band from his wrist. In all his fussiness, the time had turned to 11:45, and he shoved the candy cane he had almost demolished entirely into his mouth and shook Natsume awake.

"Eh?" he muttered, getting a bearing of his surroundings and smiling in the most innocent, sheepish manner Mika had ever seen him muster. "After all that Scolding, you were the one to wake me up in the End... How Embarrassing." He pulled off of Mika just enough to stretch a bit and check the time. "You're Reliable, too. I have just enough time to prepare the final Part. Please go up to the Bedroom." He tugged Mika into a quick hug and, contrary to his words, disappeared in the opposite direction, leaving him with a blanket draped over his shoulders and empty dishes scattered around him, both of which he remedied quickly, and made his way to the bedroom he was staying in that night.

"It's 11:58," Natsume proclaimed upon entry, having produced a watch from some deep trench of his household, watching it as he turned Mika to face him, seemingly paying no mind to how close they were, and when the seconds ticked onto 11:59, he pulled out a small bag.

"The tradition of kissing a loved one under the Mistletoe," he explained as he opened it, "is adapted from this very household Spell, for which the seal is to do the Same, at Midnight." As he spoke, his arm lifted the bundle of mistletoe higher above their heads.

Before Mika had a chance to respond, the seconds ticked onto twelve, and their lips met.

Peppermint on peppermint, he had chosen that for a reason, Mika realized, the sweetness enticing him to want to hold on to this moment forever. Natsume's free hand came up to cup his cheek, and he hurriedly mimicked the action, pulling him closer for as long as his breath held out.

Golden eyes met mismatched ones when they pulled away, the seductive exterior clashing with the loving twinkle in the gold that Mika wanted to see every day, forever.

"Merry Christmas," Natsume whispered, followed up by a yawn.

Laughing, Mika pulled him onto the bed, curling up just as comfortably as they had been before, unable to resist one more taste of those sweet, soft lips before slipping away into sleep, curled up into his own loved one. The other quickly followed suit, relieved by not having to mention that he, too, had doubted the existence of the Santa that blessed his childhood, had quickly figured out that it was his mother planting the gifts, but had wanted Mika to feel that sort of childish hope again, even if it was just for one night.

In the morning, both of them would check under the tree and find presents tagged in a handwriting neither could recognize.


End file.
